Search
SUBSCRIBE
Home Blog Page 505

Watch Luke Combs and Tracy Chapman Perform ‘Fast Car’ at 2024 Grammys

Konstantinos Pappis
-
0
Watch Luke Combs and Tracy Chapman Perform ‘Fast Car’ at 2024 Grammys

Tracy Chapman and Luke Combs teamed up to perform ‘Fast Car’ during tonight’s Grammy Awards ceremony in Los Angeles. Watch it happen below.

Combs was nominated for Best Country Solo Performance for his rendition of Chapman’s 1988 hit, but the award went to Chris Stapleton for ‘White Horse “I never expected to find myself on the country charts, but I’m honored to be there,” Chapman previously told Billboard about the success of Combs’ version of the song. “I’m happy for Luke and his success and grateful that new fans have found and embraced ‘Fast Car.’”

Chapman performed ‘Fast Car’ to close out the Grammys back in 1989, the year she won Best New Artist.

Watch Dua Lipa Debut ‘Training Season’ to Open the 2024 Grammys

Konstantinos Pappis
-
0
Watch Dua Lipa Debut ‘Training Season’ to Open the 2024 Grammys

Dua Lipa took the stage at LA’s Crypto.com Arena tonight to perform a medley of ‘Training Season’, ‘Dance The Night’, and ‘Houdini’. Watch it happen below.

‘Dance The Night’ was up for two awards at tonight’s Grammys: Best Song Written for Visual Media, which she lost to fellow Barbie soundtrack contribution ‘What Was I Made For?’, and Song of the Year. Check out the updating list of winners here.

Jack Antonoff Wins Producer of the Year, Non-Classical at 2024 Grammys

Konstantinos Pappis
-
0
Jack Antonoff Wins Producer of the Year, Non-Classical at 2024 Grammys

Jack Antonoff has won the Grammy Award for Producer of the Year, Non-Classical for the third year in a row, tying Babyface as the producer with the most consecutive wins in the category. He was up against Daniel Nigro, Dernst “D’Mile” Emile II, Hit-Boy, and Metro Boomin. The producer was recognized for his work on The 1975’s Being Funny in a Foreign Language as well as two AOTY contenders, Lana Del Rey’s Did you know there’s a tunnel under Ocean Blvd and Taylor Swift’s Midnights. Check out the updating list of winners here.

This is Antonoff’s fifth consecutive nomination in the category. Last year, he won for his work on Florence and the Machine’s Dance Fever, the Minions: The Rise of Gru soundtrack, Taylor Swift’s ‘All Too Well (10 Minute Version) (Taylor’s Version) (From the Vault)’, Diana Ross’ ‘I Still Believe’, and the 1975’s ‘Part of the Band’.

Boygenius Win Best Best Alternative Album at 2024 Grammys

Konstantinos Pappis
-
0
Boygenius Win Best Best Alternative Album at 2024 Grammys

Boygenius have won Best Alternative Music Album at the 2024 Grammys for their debut LP, the record. They also won the awards for Best Rock Performance and Best Rock Song (for ‘Not Strong Enough’) at the Premiere Ceremony. Check out the updating list of winners here.

Earlier in the night, Phoebe Bridgers picked up her first Grammy in Best Pop Duo/Group Performance as a featured guest on SZA’s ‘Ghost in the Machine’. boygenius were up for six total awards this year, including Record of the Year and Album of the Year.

On Thursday night, boygenius performed two intimate acoustic sets at the Smell in Los Angeles, where they said that they were “going away for the foreseeable future.”

Phoebe Bridgers Wins First Grammy Award With Best Pop Duo/Group Performance

Konstantinos Pappis
-
0
Phoebe Bridgers Wins First Grammy Award With Best Pop Duo/Group Performance

Phoebe Bridgers has won her first Grammy for her SZA collaboration ‘Ghost in the Machine’. The song, which appears on SZA’s SOS, won over tracks by Labrinth and Billie Eilish (‘Never Felt So Alone’), Lana Del Rey and Jon Batiste (‘Candy Necklace’), and Taylor Swift and Ice Spice (‘Karma’). Check out the updating list of winners here.

SZA leads the field with nine total nominations, including Album of the Year (SOS), Record of the Year (‘Kill Bill’), and Song of the Year (‘Kill Bill’). In 2022, SZA won her first Grammy for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance for ‘Kiss Me More’ with Doja Cat.

Bridgers was up for four Grammy awards at the 2021 event, including for Best New Artist. As a member of boygenius, she is nominated for seven Grammys this year, including for Album of the Year (the record) and Record of the Year (‘Not Strong Enough’).

Grammy Winners 2024: See the Full List

Konstantinos Pappis
-
0
Grammy Winners 2024: See the Full List

The 66th annual Grammy Awards took place on Sunday, February 4 at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. SZA led the field with nine total nominations, while Boygenius, Victoria Monét, and engineer Serban Ghenea followed close behind.

Swift won Album of the Year for Midnights, making history as the first artist to earn the honour four times. While accepting the award for Best Pop Vocal Abum, she also broke the news that her new album, The Tortured Poets Department, is set for release in April. Her longtime collaborator, Jack Antonoff, won the Grammy for Producer of the Year, Non-Classical for the third year in a row.

SZA ended up taking home the awards for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance, Best Progressive R&B Album, and Best R&B Song, while boygenius picked up Best Rock Performance, Best Rock Song, and Best Alternative Music Album. Miley Cyrus’ ‘Flowers’ won Record of the Year and Best Pop Solo Performance.

Trevor Noah returned to host the main ceremoy for the fourth consecutive year. The lineup of this year’s performers included Joni Mitchell, U2 (live from the Sphere), SZA, Billie Eilish, Billy Joel, Dua Lipa, Olivia Rodrigo, Burna Boy, Luke Combs, and Travis Scott.

Check out the full list of winners below.

Album of the Year
Boygenius – The Record
Janelle Monáe – The Age of Pleasure
Jon Batiste – World Music Radio
Lana Del Rey – Did You Know That There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd
Miley Cyrus – Endless Summer Vacation
Olivia Rodrigo – Guts
SZA – SOS
Taylor Swift – Midnights

Record of the Year
Billie Eilish – What Was I Made For?
Boygenius – Not Strong Enough
Jon Batiste – Worship
Miley Cyrus – Flowers
Olivia Rodrigo – Vampire
SZA – Kill Bill
Taylor Swift – Anti-Hero
Victoria Monét – On My Mama

Best New Artist
Coco Jones
Gracie Abrams
Fred Again..
Ice Spice
Jelly Roll
Noah Kahan
Victoria Monét
The War and Treaty

Song of the Year
Billie Eilish – What Was I Made For?
Dua Lipa – Dance the Night
Jon Batiste – Butterfly
Lana Del Rey – A&W
Miley Cyrus – Flowers
Olivia Rodrigo – Vampire
SZA – Kill Bill
Taylor Swift – Anti-Hero

Best Pop Vocal Album
Kelly Clarkson – Chemistry
Miley Cyrus – Endless Summer Vacation
Olivia Rodrigo – Guts
Ed Sheeran – – (Subtract)
Taylor Swift – Midnights

Best R&B Song
Coco Jones – ICU
Halle – Angel
Robert Glasper ft. SiR & Alex Isley – Back to Love
SZA – Snooze
Victoria Monét – On My Mama

Best Country Album
Brothers Osborne – Brothers Osborne
Kelsea Ballerini – Rolling Up the Welcome Mat
Lainey Wilson – Bell Bottom Country
Tyler Childers – Rustin’ in the Rain
Zach Bryan – Zach Bryan

Best Música Urbana Album
Rauw Alejandro – Saturno
Karol G – Mañana Será Bonito
Tainy – Data

Best Pop Solo Performance
Billie Eilish – What Was I Made For?
Doja Cat – Paint the Town Red
Miley Cyrus – Flowers
Olivia Rodrigo – Vampire
Taylor Swift – Anti-Hero

Producer of the Year, Non-Classical
Daniel Nigro
Dernst “D’Mile” Emile II
Hit-Boy
Jack Antonoff
Metro Boomin

Producer of the Year, Classical
David Frost
Morten Lindberg
Dmitriy Lipay
Elaine Martone
Brian Pidgeon

Best Engineered Album, Classical
Gustavo Dudamel, Anne Akiko Meyers, Gustavo Castillo & Los Angeles Philharmonic – Fandango
Manfred Honeck & Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra – Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 5 & Schulhoff: Five Pieces
Mehmet Ali Sanlikol, George Lernis & A Far Cry – Sanlikol: A Gentleman Of Istanbul – Symphony For Strings, Percussion, Piano, Oud, Ney & Tenor
Riccardo Muti & Chicago Symphony Orchestra – Contemporary American Composers
Shara Nova & A Far Cry – The Blue Hour

Best Bluegrass Album
Sam Bush – Radio John: Songs of John Hartford
Michael Cleveland – Lovin’ of the Game
Mighty Poplar – Mighty Poplar
Willie Nelson – Bluegrass
Billy Strings – Me/And/Dad
Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway – City of Gold

Best Contemporary Instrumental Album
Béla Fleck, Zakir Hussain, Edgar Meyer ft. Rakesh Chaurasia – As We Speak
House of Waters – On Becoming
Bob James – Jazz Hands
Julian Lage – The Layers
Ben Wendel – All One

Best Jazz Instrumental Album
Kenny Barron – The Source
Lakecia Benjamin – Phoenix
Adam Blackstone – Legacy: The Instrumental Jawn
Billy Childs – The Winds of Change
Pat Metheny – Dream Box

Best Jazz Performance
Jon Batiste – Movement 18’ (Heroes)
Lakecia Benjamin – Basquiat
Adam Blackstone ft. the Baylor Project & Russell Ferranté – Vulnerable (Live)
Fred Hersch & Esperanza Spalding – But Not For Me
Samara Joy – Tight

Best Progressive R&B Album
6lack – Since I Have a Lover
Diddy – The Love Album: Off the Grid
Terrace Martin and James Fauntleroy – Nova
Janelle Monáe – The Age of Pleasure
SZA – SOS

Best R&B Performance
Chris Brown – Summer Too Hot
Coco Jones – ICU
Robert Glasper Featuring Sir & Alex Isley – Back to Love
SZA – Kill Bill
Victoria Monét – How Does It Make You Feel

Best Contemporary Classical Composition
Thomas Adès, composer (Gustavo Dudamel & Los Angeles Philharmonic) – Adès: Dante
Andy Akiho, composer (Andy Akiho, Ankush Kumar Bahl & Omaha Symphony) – Akiho: In That Space, At That Time
William Brittelle, composer (Roomful Of Teeth) – Brittelle: Psychedelics
Missy Mazzoli, composer (Peter Herresthal, James Gaffigan & Bergen Philharmonic) – Mazzoli: Dark With Excessive Bright
Jessie Montgomery, composer (Awadagin Pratt, A Far Cry & Roomful Of Teeth) – Montgomery: Rounds

Best Classical Compendium
Anne Akiko Meyers – Fandango
Christopher Rountree, conductor – Julius Eastman, Vol. 3: If You’re So Smart, Why Aren’t You Rich?
Peter Herresthal – Mazzoli: Dark With Excessive Bright
Alex Brown, Harlem Quartet, Imani Winds, Edward Perez, Neal Smith & A.B. Spellman – Passion For Bach And Coltrane
Chick Corea – Sardinia
Andy Akiho – Sculptures
Aaron Diehl Trio & The Knights – Zodiac Suite

Best Classical Solo Vocal Album
Reginald Mobley, soloist; Baptiste Trotignon, pianist – Because
Karim Sulayman, soloist; Sean Shibe, accompanist – Broken Branches
Laura Strickling, soloist; Daniel Schlosberg, pianist – 40@40
Lawrence Brownlee, soloist; Kevin J. Miller, pianist – Rising
Julia Bullock, soloist; Christian Reif, conductor (Philharmonia Orchestra) – Walking In The Dark

Best Classical Instrumental Solo
Robert Black – Adams, John Luther: Darkness And Scattered Light
Andy Akiho – Akiho: Cylinders
Yuja Wang; Teddy Abrams, conductor (Louisville Orchestra) – The American Project
Seth Parker Woods – Difficult Grace
Curtis Stewart – Of Love

Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance
Anthony McGill & Pacifica Quartet – American Stories
Catalyst Quartet – Uncovered, Vol. 3: Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson, William Grant Still & George Walker
Roomful Of Teeth – Rough Magic
Third Coast Percussion – Between Breaths
Yo-Yo Ma, Emanuel Ax & Leonidas Kavakos – Beethoven For Three: Symphony No. 6, ‘Pastorale’ And Op. 1, No. 3

Best Choral Performance
The Clarion Choir – Rachmaninoff: All-Night Vigil
The Crossing – Carols After a Plague
Miró Quartet; Conspirare – The House Of Belonging
San Francisco Symphony Chorus – Ligeti: Lux Aeterna
Uusinta Ensemble; Helsinki Chamber Choir – Saariaho: Reconnaissance

Best Opera Recording
The Metropolitan Opera Orchestra; The Metropolitan Opera Chorus – Blanchard: Champion
Boston Modern Orchestra Project & Odyssey Opera Chorus – Corigliano: The Lord Of Cries
The Dime Museum; Isaura String Quartet – Little: Black Lodge

Best Orchestral Performance
Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra – Scriabin: Symphony No. 2; The Poem Of Ecstasy
Los Angeles Philharmonic – Adès: Dante
Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra – Bartók: Concerto For Orchestra; Four Pieces
The Philadelphia Orchestra – Price: Symphony No. 4; Dawson: Negro Folk Symphony
San Francisco Symphony – Stravinsky: The Rite of Spring

Best Arrangement, Instruments and Vocals
Cécile McLorin Salvant – Fenestra
Maria Mendes ft. John Beasley & Metropole Orkest – Com Que Voz (Live)
Patti Austin ft. Gordon Goodwin’s Big Phat Band – April in Paris
säje ft. Jacob Collier – In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning
Samara Joy – Lush Life

Best Regional Roots Music Album
Buckwheat Zydeco Jr. & The Legendary Ils Sont Partis Band – New Beginnings
Dwayne Dopsie & The Zydeco Hellraisers – Live At The 2023 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival
Lost Bayou Ramblers & Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra – Live: Orpheum Theater Nola
New Breed Bass Band – Made in New Orleans
New Orleans Nightcrawlers – Too Much to Hold
The Rumble Feature Chief Joseph Boudreaux Jr. – Live at the Maple Leaf

Best Folk Album
Dom Flemons – Traveling Wildfire
The Milk Carton Kids – I Only See the Moon
Joni Mitchell – Joni Mitchell at Newport [Live]
Nickel Creek – Celebrants
Old Crow Medicine Show – Jubilee
Paul Simon – Psalms
Rufus Wainwright – Folkocracy

Best Country Duo/Group Performance
Dierks Bentley ft. Billy Strings – High Note
Brothers Osborne – Nobody’s Nobody
Zach Bryan ft. Kacey Musgraves – I Remember Everything
Vince Gill & Paul Franklin – Kissing Your Picture (Is So Cold)
Jelly Roll with Lainey Wilson – Save Me
Carly Pearce ft. Chris Stapleton – We Don’t Fight Anymore

Best Jazz Vocal Album
Patti Austin Featuring Gordon Goodwin’s Big Phat Band – For Ella 2
Fred Hersch & Esperanza Spalding – Alive at the Village Vanguard
Gretchen Parlato & Lionel Loueke – Lean In
Cécile McLorin Salvant – Mélusine
Nicole Zuraitis – How Love Begins

Best Arrangement, Instrumental or A Cappella
Hilario Duran And His Latin Jazz Big Band Featuring Paquito D’Rivera – I Remember Mingus
Just 6 – Angels We Have Heard On High
Ludwig Göransson – Can You Hear the Music
The String Revolution ft. Tommy Emmanuel – Folsom Prison Blues
Wednesday Addams – Paint It Black

Best Instrumental Composition
Béla Fleck, Edgar Meyer & Zakir Hussain Featuring Rakesh Chaurasia – Motion
John Williams – Helena’s Theme
Lakecia Benjamin ft. Angela Davis – Amerikkan Skin
Ludwig Göransson – Can You Hear the Music
Quartet San Francisco Featuring Gordon Goodwin’s Big Phat Band – Cutey And The Dragona

Best Audio Book, Narration, and Storytelling Recording
Meryl Streep – Big Tree
William Shatner – Boldly Go: Reflections on a Life of Awe and Wonder
Rick Rubin – The Creative Act: A Way of Being
Senator Bernie Sanders – It’s Ok to Be Angry About Capitalism
Michelle Obama – The Light We Carry: Overcoming In Uncertain Times

Best Children’s Music Album
Andrew & Polly – Ahhhhh!
Pierce Freelon & Nnenna Freelon – Ancestars
DJ Willy Wow! – Hip Hope for Kids!
Uncle Jumbo – Taste The Sky
123 Andrés – We Grow Together Preschool Songs

Best New Age, Ambient, or Chant Album
Kirsten Agresta-Copely – Aquamarine
Omar Akram – Moments of Beauty
Ólafur Arnalds – Some Kind of Peace (Piano Reworks)
David Darling & Hans Christian – Ocean Dreaming Ocean
Carla Patullo ft. Tonality and the Scorchio Quartet – So She Howls

Best Reggae Album
Buju Banton – Born For Greatness
Beenie Man – Simma
Collie Buddz – Cali Roots Riddim 2023
Burning Spear – No Destroyer
Julian Marley & Antacus – Colors of Royal

Best Latin Rock or Alternative Album
Cabra – Martínez
Diamante Eléctrico – Leche de Tigre
Juanes – Vida Cotidiana
Natalia Lafourcade – De Todas las Flores
Fito Paez – EADDA9223

Best Latin Pop Album
AleMor – Beautiful Humans, Vol. 1
Gaby Moreno – X Mi (Vol. 1)
Maluma – Don Juan
Pablo Alborán – La Cuarta Hoja
Paula Arenas – A Ciegas
Pedro Capó – La Neta

Best Alternative Jazz Album
Arooj Aftab, Vijay Iyer, Shahzad Ismaily – Love in Exile
Cory Henry – Live at the Piano
Kurt Elling, Charlie Hunter, SuperBlue – SuperBlue: The Iridescent Spree
Louis Cole – Quality Over Opinion
Meshell Ndegeocello – The Omnichord Real Book

Best Latin Jazz Album
Eliane Elias – Quietude
Ivan Lins with the Tblisi Symphony Orchestra – My Heart Speaks
Bobby Sanabria Multiverse Big Band – Vox Humana
Luciana Souza & Trio Corrente – Cometa
Miguel Zenón & Luis Perdomo – El Arte Del Bolero Vol. 2

Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album
ADDA Simfònica, Josep Vicent, Emilio Solla – The Chick Corea Symphony Tribute – Ritmo
Darcy James Argue’s Secret Society – Dynamic Maximum Tension
The Count Basie Orchestra Directed By Scotty Barnhart – Basie Swings The Blues
Vince Mendoza & Metropole Orkest – Olympians
Mingus Big Band – The Charles Mingus Centennial Sessions

Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album
ADDA Simfònica, Josep Vicent, Emilio Solla – The Chick Corea Symphony Tribute – Ritmo
Darcy James Argue’s Secret Society – Dynamic Maximum Tension
The Count Basie Orchestra Directed By Scotty Barnhart – Basie Swings The Blues
Vince Mendoza & Metropole Orkest – Olympians
Mingus Big Band – The Charles Mingus Centennial Sessions

Best Historical Album
Bob Dylan – Fragments – Time Out Of Mind Sessions (1996-1997): The Bootleg Series, Vol. 17
Various Artists – The Moaninest Moan of Them All: The Jazz Saxophone of Loren McMurray, 1920-1922
Various Artists – Playing for the Man at the Door: Field Recordings from the Collection of Mack McCormick, 1958-1971
Lou Reed – Words & Music, May 1965 – Deluxe Edition
Various Artists – Written in Their Soul: The Stax Songwriter Demos

Best Album Notes
John Coltrane & Eric Dolphy – Evenings At The Village Gate: John Coltrane With Eric Dolphy (Live) (album notes by Ashley Kahn)
Howdy Glenn – I Can Almost See Houston: The Complete Howdy Glenn (album notes by Scott B. Bomar)
Iftin Band – Mogadishu’s Finest: The Al Uruba Sessions (album notes by Vik Sohonie)
Various Artists – Playing for the Man at the Door: Field Recordings from the Collection of Mack McCormick, 1958-1971 (album notes by Jeff Place & John Troutman
Various Artists – Written In Their Soul: The Stax Songwriter Demos (album notes by Robert Gordon & Deanie Parker

Best Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package
The Collected Works of Neutral Milk Hotel
For The Birds: The Birdsong Project
Gieo
Inside: Deluxe Box Set
Words & Music, May 1965 – Deluxe Edition

Best Recording Package
Caroline Rose – The Art of Forgetting
Hsing-Hui Cheng – Cadenza 21’
Perry Shall – Eletrophonic Chronic
Iam8bit – Gravity Falls
Yu Wei – Migration
Luke Brooks & James Theseus Buck – Stumpwork

Best Comedy Album
Trevor Noah – I Wish You Would
Wanda Sykes – I’m An Entertainer
Chris Rock – Selective Outrage
Sarah Silverman – Someone You Love
Dave Chappelle – What’s In A Name?

Best Alternative Music Album
Arctic Monkeys – The Car
Boygenius – The Record
Gorillaz – Cracker Island
Lana Del Rey – Did You Know That There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd
PJ Harvey – I Inside the Old Year Dying

Best Alternative Music Performance
Alvvays – Belinda Says
Arctic Monkeys – Body Paint
Boygenius – Cool About It
Lana Del Rey – A&W
Paramore – This Is Why

Best Rock Album
Foo Fighters – But Here We Are
Greta Van Fleet – Starcatcher
Metallica – 72 Seasons
Paramore – This Is Why
Queens of the Stone Age – In Times New Roman…

Best Rock Song
Boygenius – Not Strong Enough
Foo Fighters – Rescued
Olivia Rodrigo – Ballad of a Homeschooled Girl
Queens of the Stone Age – Emotion Sickness
The Rolling Stones – Angry

Best Metal Performance
Disturbed – Bad Man
Ghost – Phantom of the Opera
Metallica – 72 Seasons
Slipknot – Hive Mind
Spiritbox – Jaded

Best Rock Song
Boygenius – Not Strong Enough
Foo Fighters – Rescued
Olivia Rodrigo – Ballad of a Homeschooled Girl
Queens of the Stone Age – Emotion Sickness
The Rolling Stones – Angry

Best Rock Performance
Arctic Monkeys – Sculptures of Anything Goes
Black Pumas – More Than a Love Song
Boygenius – Not Strong Enough
Foo Fighters – Rescued
Metallica – Lux Æterna

Best Rock Performance
Arctic Monkeys – Sculptures of Anything Goes
Black Pumas – More Than a Love Song
Boygenius – Not Strong Enough
Foo Fighters – Rescued
Metallica – Lux Æterna

Best Musical Theater Album
Kimberly Akimbo
Parade
Shucked
Some Like It Hot
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album
Liz Callaway – To Steve With Love: Liz Callaway Celebrates Sondheim
Rickie Lee Jones – Pieces of Treasure
Laufey – Bewitched
Pentatonix – Holidays Around the World
Bruce Springsteen – Only the Strong Survive
Various – Sondheim Unplugged (The NYC Sessions), Vol. 3

Best Global Music Album
Susana Baca- Epifanías
Bokanté – History
Burna Boy – I Told Them…
Davido – Timeless
Shakti – This Moment

Best African Music Performance
Asake & Olamide – Amapiano
Ayra Starr – Rush
Burna Boy – City Boys
Davido Featuring Musa Keys – Unavailable
Tyla – Water

Best Global Music Performance
Arooj Aftab, Vijay Iyer & Shahzad Ismaily – Shadow Forces
Burna Boy – Alone
Davido – Feel
Silvana Estrada – Milagro Y Disastre
Falu & Gaurav Shah (ft. PM Narendra Modi) – Abundance In Millets
Béla Fleck, Edgar Meyer & Zakir Hussain ft. Rakesh Chaurasia – Pashto
Ibrahim Maalouf ft. Cimafunk & Tank and the Bangas – Todo Colores

Best Spoken Word Poetry Album
Aja Monet – When the Poems Do What They Do
J. Ivy – The Light Inside
Kevin Powell – Grocery Shopping With My Mother
Prentice Powell and Shawn William – For Your Consideration ’24 – The Album
Queen Sheba – A-You’re Not Wrong B-They’re Not Either: The Fukc-It Pill Revisited

Best Rap Album
Drake & 21 Savage – Her Loss
Killer Mike – Michael
Metro Boomin – Heroes & Villains
Nas – King’s Disease III
Travis Scott – Utopia

Best Rap Song
Doja Cat – Attention
Nicki Minaj & Ice Spice ft. Aqua – Barbie World
Lil Uzi Vert – Just Wanna Rock
Drake & 21 Savage – Rich Flex
Killer Mike ft. André 3000, Future, and Eryn Allen Kane – Scientists & Engineers

Best Melodic Rap Performance
Burna Boy Featuring 21 Savage – Sittin’ on Top of the World
Doja Cat – Attention
Drake & 21 Savage – Spin Bout U
Lil Durk Featuring J. Cole – All My Life
SZA – Low

Best Rap Performance
Baby Keem Featuring Kendrick Lamar – The Hillbillies
Black Thought – Love Letter
Coi Leray – Players
Drake & 21 Savage – Rich Flex
Killer Mike Featuring André 3000, Future, and Eryn Allen Kane – Scientists & Engineers

Best R&B Album
Babyface – Girls Night Out
Coco Jones – What I Didn’t Tell You
Emily King – Special Occasion
Summer Walker – Clear 2: Soft Life EP
Victoria Monét – Jaguar II

Best Traditional R&B Performance
Babyface ft. Coco Jones – Simple
Kenyon Dixon – Lucky
Victoria Monét ft. Earth, Wind & Fire and Hazel Monét – Hollywood
PJ Morton ft. Susan Carol – Good Morning
SZA – Love Language

Best Gospel Performance/Song
Stanley Brown ft. Hezekiah Walker, Kierra Sheard & Karen Clark Sheard – God Is Good
Erica Campbell – Feel Alright (Blessed)
Zacardi Cortez – Lord Do It For Me (Live)
Melvin Crispell III – God Is
Kirk Franklin – All Things

Songwriter of the Year, Non-Classical
Edgar Barrera
Jessie Jo Dillon
Justin Tranter
Shane McAnally
Theron Thomas

Best Roots Gospel Album
The Blackwood Brothers Quartet – Tribute to the King
Blind Boys of Alabama – Echoes of the South
Becky Isaacs Bowman – Songs That Pulled Me Through the Tough Times
Brian Free & Assurance – Meet Me at the Cross
Gaither Vocal Band – Shine: The Darker The Night The Brighter The Light

Best Contemporary Christian Album
Blessing Offor – My Tribe
Da’ T.R.U.T.H. – Emanuel
Lauren Daigle – Lauren Daigle
Lecrae – Church Clothes 4
Phil Wickham – I Believe

Best Gospel Album
Erica Campbell – I Love You
Tasha Cobbs Leonard – Hymns (Live)
Maverick City Music – The Maverick Way
Jonathan McReynolds – My Truth
Tye Tribbett – All Things New: Live In Orlando

Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song
Blessing Offor – Believe
Cody Carnes – Firm Foundation (He Won’t) [Live]
Lauren Daigle – Thank God I Do
for KING & COUNTRY ft. Jordin Sparks – Love Me Like I Am
Lecrae & Tasha Cobbs Leonard – Your Power
Maverick City Music, Chandler Moore & Naomi Raine – God Problems

Best Contemporary Blues Album
Samantha Fish And Jesse Dayton – Death Wish Blues
Ruthie Foster – Healing Time
Christone “Kingfish” Ingram – Live in London
Larkin Poe – Blood Harmony
Bettye LaVette – LaVette!

Best Traditional Blues Album
Eric Bibb – Ridin’
Mr. Sipp – The Soul Side of Sipp
Tracy Nelson – Life Don’t Miss Nobody
John Primer – Teardrops For Magic Slim Live At Rosa’s Lounge
Bobby Rush – All My Love for You

Best Americana Album
Brandy Clark – Brandy Clark
Rodney Crowell – The Chicago Sessions
Rhiannon Giddens – You’re the One
Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit – Weathervanes
Allison Russell – The Returner

Best American Roots Song
The War and Treaty – Blank Page
Billy Strings ft. Willie Nelson – California Sober
Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit – Cast Iron Skillet
Brandy Clark ft. Brandi Carlile – Dear Insecurity
Allison Russell – The Returner

Best Americana Performance
Blind Boys of Alabama – Friendship
Tyler Childers – Help Me Make It Through the Night
Brandy Clark ft. Brandi Carlile – Dear Insecurity
Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit – King of Oklahoma
Allison Russell – The Returner

Best American Roots Performance
Jon Batiste – Butterfly
Blind Boys of Alabama – Heaven Help Us All
Madison Cunningham – Inventing the Wheel
Rhiannon Giddens – You Louisiana Man
Allison Russell – Eve Was Black

Best Country Song
Brandy Clark – Buried
Chris Stapleton – White Horse
Morgan Wallen – Last Night
Tyler Childers – In Your Love
Zach Bryan ft. Kacey Musgraves – I Remember Everything

Best Country Solo Performance
Brandy Clark – Buried
Chris Stapleton – White Horse
Dolly Parton – The Last Thing on My Mind
Luke Combs – Fast Car
Tyler Childers – In Your Love

Best Immersive Audio Album
Alicia Keys – The Diary of Alicia Keys
Bear McCreary – God of War Ragnarok
George Strait – Blue Clear Sky
Madison Beer – Silence Between Songs
Ryan Ylyate – Act 3 (Immersive Edition)

Best Remixed Recording
Depeche Mode – Wagging Tongue (Wet Leg Remix)
Gorillaz Featuring Tame Impala & Bootie Brown – New Gold (Dom Dolla Remix)
Lane 8 – Reviver (Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs Remix)
Mariah Carey – Workin’ Hard (Terry Hunter Remix)
Turnstile and Badbadnotgood ft. Blood Orange – Alien Love Call

Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical
Bokanté – History
Boygenius – The Record
Caroline Polachek – Desire, I Want to Turn Into You
Feist – Multitudes
Victoria Monét – Jaguar II

Best Music Film
Moonage Daydream
How I’m Feeling Now
Live From Paris, The Big Steppers Tour
I Am Everything
Dear Mama

Best Music Video
The Beatles – I’m Only Sleeping
Tyler Childers – In Your Love
Billie Eilish – What Was I Made For
Kendrick Lamar – Count Me Out
Troye Sivan – Rush

Best Song Written for Visual Media
Billie Eilish – What Was I Made For?
Dua Lipa – Dance the Night
Nicki Minaj & Ice Spice Featuring Aqua – Barbie World
Rihanna – Lift Me Up
Ryan Gosling – I’m Just Ken

Best Score Soundtrack for Video Games and Other Interactive Media
Bear McCreary – God of War Ragnarök
Jess Serro, Tripod & Austin Wintory – Stray Gods: The Roleplaying Musical
Peter Murray, J Scott Rakozy & Chuck E. Myers “Sea” – Hogwarts Legacy
Sarah Schachner – Call of Duty®: Modern Warfare II
Stephen Barton & Gordy Haab – Star Wars Jedi: Survivor

Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media (Includes Film and Television)
John Williams – The Fabelmans
John Williams – Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny
Ludwig Göransson – Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Ludwig Göransson – Oppenheimer
Mark Ronson & Andrew Wyatt – Barbie

Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media
Daisy Jones & The Six – Aurora
Various Artists – Barbie The Album
Various Artists – Black Panther: Wakanda Forever – Music From and Inspired By
Various Artists – Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 3: Awesome Mix, Vol. 3
Weird Al Yankovic – Weird: The Al Yankovic Story

Best Tropical Latin Album
Rubén Blades con Roberto Delgado & Orquesta – Siembra: 45(degree) Aniversario (En Vivo en el Coliseo de Puerto Rico, 14 de Mayo 2022)
Luis Figueroa – Voy A Ti
Grupo Niche Y Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional de Colombia – Niche Sinfónico
Omara Portuondo – Vida
Tony Succar, Mimy Succar – Mimy & Tony
Carlos Vives – Escalona Nunca Se Había Grabado Así

Best Música Mexicana Album (Including Tejano)
Ana Bárbara – Bordado a Mano
Flor de Toloache – Motherflower
Lila Downs – La Sánchez
Lupita Infante – Amor Como en las Películas de Antes
Peso Pluma – Génesis

Best Dance/Electronic Music Album
James Blake – Playing Robots Into Heaven
The Chemical Brothers – For That Beautiful Feeling
Fred Again.. – Actual Life 3 (January 1 – September 9 2022)
Kx5 – Kx5
Skrillex – Quest for Fire

Best Pop Dance Recording
Bebe Rexha & David Guetta – One in a Million
Calvin Harris Featuring Ellie Goulding – Miracle
David Guetta, Anne-Marie & Coi Leray – Baby Don’t Hurt Me
Kylie Minogue – Padam Padam
Troye Sivan – Rush

Best Dance/Electronic Recording
Aphex Twin – Blackbox Life Recorder 21f
Disclosure – Higher Than Ever Before
James Blake – Loading
Romy & Fred Again.. – Strong
Skrillex, Fred Again.. & Flowdan – Rumble

Best Pop Duo/Group Performance
Labrinth Featuring Billie Eilish – Never Felt So Alone
Lana Del Rey Featuring Jon Batiste – Candy Necklace
Miley Cyrus Featuring Brandi Carlile – Thousand Miles
SZA Featuring Phoebe Bridgers – Ghost in the Machine
Taylor Swift Featuring Ice Spice – Karma

Watch Jennifer Lopez Perform ‘Can’t Get Enough’ and ‘This Is Me…Now’ on ‘SNL’

Konstantinos Pappis
-
0
Watch Jennifer Lopez Perform ‘Can’t Get Enough’ and ‘This Is Me…Now’ on ‘SNL’

Jennifer Lopez was the musical guest on last night’s episode of Saturday Night Live, where she was joined by rappers Latto and Redman for a rendition of ‘Can’t Get Enough’, the lead single from her upcoming album This Is Me…Now. She also performed the album’s title track. Watch it happen below.

The episode was hosted by Ayo Edebiri, who, during a sketch game show sketch called ‘Why’d You Say It?’, acknowledged recently resurfaced jokes she made about Jennifer Lopez. “OK, OK, we get it. It’s wrong to leave mean comments or post comments just for clout or run your mouth on a podcast and you don’t consider the impact because you’re 24 and stupid,” Edebiri’s character said. “But I think I speak for everyone when I say from now on, we’re going to be a lot more thoughtful about what we post online!”

The podcast Edebiri alluded to was a 2020 episode of Scam Goddess, in which Edebiri had suggested Lopez was using ghost singers.

Lopez’s last appearance on SNL was as a host in 2019. Her most recent studio album was 2014’s A.K.A.

Digital Crossroads: Pioneering the Traffic Arbitrage Odyssey

Our Culture Mag & Partners
-
0
Digital Crossroads: Pioneering the Traffic Arbitrage Odyssey

Traffic arbitrage, a cornerstone in the dynamic digital marketing landscape, revolves around the strategic purchase and subsequent sale of web traffic. This process, aimed at capitalizing on price variations across different advertising platforms, is a nuanced blend of art and science.

  • Core Concept: Originating from financial markets, arbitrage involves exploiting price disparities. In the digital context, this translates to acquiring web traffic through various channels, such as social media or search engines, and reselling it to higher-bidding advertisers.
  • Technological Evolution: The progression of this niche is tightly linked with advancements in digital technologies and analytics, allowing for more refined and targeted methodologies.
  • Audience Insights: The success of traffic arbitrage hinges on understanding audience demographics, behaviors, and preferences, which is critical for redirecting traffic to the most profitable online spaces.
  • Adapting to Change: This sector is characterized by its agility and responsiveness to the ever-changing online consumer behaviors and marketing trends.
  • Strategic Significance: Grasping the essence of traffic arbitrage is vital for comprehending modern online marketing tactics. It’s a field where data analysis, strategic planning, and profound knowledge of digital marketplaces merge to forge lucrative opportunities.

In this exploration, we delve into the complexities of traffic arbitrage, highlighting its pivotal role in shaping the future of digital advertising and its potential for generating significant returns.

Ascending the Ladder: Continuous Expansion in Traffic Arbitrage

The trajectory of traffic arbitrage has been marked by a relentless upward surge, illustrating a story of persistent expansion and adaptation in the competitive sphere of digital marketing. This growth narrative transcends mere enlargement; it is a chronicle of strategic evolution and adaptation.

  • Unceasing Expansion: This sector’s journey has been characterized by a steady ascent, from modest beginnings to becoming a significant force in the digital world. Its expansion is a reflection of continuous improvement and scaling strategies.
  • Adaptability and Ingenuity: The cornerstone of this growth is the ability to adapt and innovate. Embracing cutting-edge technologies and pioneering strategies has kept arbitrage experts ahead in a fiercely competitive field.
  • Diversity of Techniques: As the industry evolved, so did the variety of tactics employed. Leveraging detailed analytics to penetrate new market segments has been crucial for this upward trajectory.
  • Expanding Networks and Partnerships: Expanding networks through building robust relationships with various publishers and advertisers has played a critical role in enhancing traffic flow and reach.
  • Future Growth Prospects: The potential for future growth appears boundless. With the digital landscape in constant flux, there are ample opportunities for further expansion and success.

For a deeper understanding of this sector’s growth and potential, one may refer to https://trafficstars.com/product/buy-display-ads, which exemplifies the advancement and refinement achieved in traffic arbitrage. Here, continuous growth intertwines with innovative strategies, delineating a path of success in the intricate world of traffic arbitrage.

Mastering the Complexities of the Adult Content Sphere in Traffic Arbitrage

Delving into the adult content domain within traffic arbitrage presents a unique set of challenges and opportunities. This segment, often viewed as contentious, requires a blend of strategic insight and a deep understanding of its distinct characteristics.

  • Audience Comprehension: Success in the adult sphere is heavily reliant on an in-depth grasp of the target audience’s preferences and behaviors. Tailoring traffic direction to suit these nuances is essential for effective engagement.
  • Navigating Legal and Ethical Landscapes: Operating within the adult content area demands strict adherence to legal guidelines and ethical standards. This commitment not only ensures compliance but also fosters trust and reliability.
  • Innovative and Creative Marketing Approaches: The adult segment calls for unique and imaginative marketing strategies. Conventional methods often fall short, necessitating creative thinking to capture and retain audience attention.
  • Prioritizing User Privacy and Data Security: Given the sensitive nature of adult content, a heightened focus on user privacy and security is critical. This approach is key to complying with data protection laws and building user confidence.
  • Effective Monetization Techniques: Crafting successful monetization strategies in this niche is crucial. Striking a balance between user experience and revenue generation is a fundamental aspect of thriving in this sector.

Venturing into the adult content area in traffic arbitrage is not a simple undertaking. It requires a sophisticated mix of market savvy, ethical responsibility, and innovative tactics. For those who navigate its complexities skillfully, this segment offers substantial potential for traffic generation and revenue growth. The adult content realm, while intricate, is ripe with opportunities for those prepared to tackle its challenges with precision and integrity.

Revolutionizing Media Acquisition with RTB Advertising

Real-Time Bidding (RTB) advertising is transforming the landscape of traffic arbitrage, introducing a novel approach to media buying that is characterized by its immediacy and precision. This innovative system, based on live auction dynamics, offers a highly efficient way for advertisers to procure ad space, ensuring that their messages reach the intended audience at the most opportune moment.

  • Optimized Ad Placement Efficiency: RTB technology enables advertisers to place ads with heightened efficiency. Through real-time bidding, they can secure ad space that aligns perfectly with their audience targeting needs.
  • Precision in Audience Targeting: RTB stands out for its ability to target specific user demographics with remarkable accuracy. This capability significantly boosts the likelihood of engaging the intended audience, thereby enhancing the impact and effectiveness of ad campaigns.
  • Cost Management Benefits: A major advantage of RTB is its economic efficiency. Advertisers gain more control over their budgets, investing only in ad spaces that precisely meet their specified criteria.
  • Insightful Data Analytics: RTB systems offer valuable analytical insights, enabling advertisers to continuously refine their strategies based on data-driven decisions. This approach leads to more effective and successful advertising campaigns.
  • Adaptability and Scalability: The RTB advertising model is characterized by its adaptability and scalability. Advertisers can adjust their tactics in response to real-time performance data, allowing them to scale their efforts up or down based on market trends and campaign results.

RTB advertising is not merely a new technique in the realm of digital advertising; it is a strategic tool that amplifies the effectiveness of marketing efforts. By harnessing the power of real-time data, precise targeting, and cost-effective strategies, RTB is poised to continue its transformative impact on the way media buying is conducted, offering advertisers a significant competitive advantage.

Charting New Horizons: Emerging Trends and Innovations in Traffic Arbitrage

As we venture into the future of traffic arbitrage, it’s crucial to anticipate the emerging trends and innovations that are poised to redefine this sector. This final segment highlights the potential developments and breakthroughs that will shape the trajectory of traffic arbitrage.

  • Advancements in Cutting-Edge Technologies: The integration of advanced technologies like AI and machine learning is expected to bring transformative changes to traffic arbitrage. These technologies can enhance decision-making processes, automate complex operations, and refine targeting strategies for better results.
  • Personalization at a Micro-Level: The future of traffic arbitrage will likely focus on micro-level personalization. Enhanced data analysis capabilities will enable marketers to tailor their approaches more precisely to individual preferences, increasing campaign effectiveness.
  • Blockchain for Enhanced Transparency: Incorporating blockchain technology could revolutionize the transparency and security aspects of traffic arbitrage. This would bring a new level of trust and efficiency to the transaction process.
  • Focus on Sustainable and Ethical Practices: As the industry evolves, there is an increasing emphasis on adopting sustainable and ethical marketing practices. Future strategies in traffic arbitrage are expected to align with these principles.
  • Expansion into New Global Markets: Exploring new and emerging markets presents vast untapped opportunities. Understanding local market nuances and leveraging unique insights will be crucial for success in these diverse environments.

Looking forward, the landscape of traffic arbitrage is set not just for adaptation but for pioneering innovation and excellence. Those leading in this space must remain agile and visionary, ready to seize the numerous opportunities that the future holds. This journey, laden with potential and promise, is set to redefine the parameters of digital marketing and traffic arbitrage in profound ways.

MC5’s Wayne Kramer Dead at 75

Konstantinos Pappis
-
0
MC5’s Wayne Kramer Dead at 75

Wayne Kramer, the co-founder, lead guitarist, and vocalist of the legendary Detroit proto-punk band MC5, has died. The news was confirmed on Kramer and the band’s social media pages. “Wayne Kramer passed away today peacefully from pancreatic cancer,” a follow-up message read. He will be remembered for starting a revolution in music, culture, and kindness.” Kramer was 75.

Born and raised in Detroit, Michigan, Kramer founded MC5 in nearby Lincoln Park with fellow guitarist Fred “Sonic” Smith and singer Rob Tyner. In 1967, the band – whose name is short for Motor City 5 –  became the house band at Detroit’s Grande Ballroom, and they were managed by John Sinclair, a poet, left-wing activist, and co-founder of the White Panther Party. Along with progressive politics, Sinclair introduced the then 20-year-old Kramer to the world of free jazz, an influence they incorporated into the band’s increasingly heavier sound. They protested against the Vietnam war by playing outside the Democratic National Convention in 1968.

MC5 signed to Elektra, and their debut album, Kick Out the Jams, was recorded live at Detroit’s Grande Ballroom and released in 1969. The band put out two more major label albums, 1971’s Back in the USA and 1972’s High Time, for Atlantic Records, before playing a farewell show at the Grande Ballroom on December 31, 1972.

In 1975, Kramer was convicted of, among other charges, selling drugs to undercover officials, and was sentenced to four years in prison. While incarcerated at FMC Lexington, he befriended Red Rooney, a jazz trumpeter who had played with Charlie Parker. Upon his release, he briefly teamed up with Johnny Thunders in the band Gang War and joined Was (Not Was).

In 1994, Kramer signed with Epitaph, releasing his solo debut, The Hard Stuff, the following year. He published a memoir of the same name in 2018. He put out two more solo albums in the ’90s, Dangerous Madness and Citizen Wayne, and in 2001, formed a supergroup to perform MC5 music that featured the likes of the Cult’s Ian Astbury and Motorhead’s Lemmy. In 2009, Kramer, his wife Margaret Saadi Kramer, and Billy Bragg launched Jail Guitar Doors, providing instruments, workshops, and prison concerts across America. A new MC5 release was scheduled for spring 2024.

Among those paying tribute to Kramer following his death was former collaborator and Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello, who wrote on Instagram: “Brother Wayne Kramer was the best man I’ve ever known. He possessed a one of a kind mixture of deep wisdom & profound compassion, beautiful empathy and tenacious conviction.”

Album Review: The Last Dinner Party, ‘Prelude to Ecstasy’

Konstantinos Pappis
-
0
Album Review: The Last Dinner Party, ‘Prelude to Ecstasy’

The Last Dinner Party understand the implications of suddenly being heralded as one of the world’s most exciting young bands. Following the success of their debut single, ‘Nothing Matters’, last April, the group – vocalist Abigail Morris, guitarists Lizzie Mayland and Emily Roberts, bassist Georgia Davies, and keyboardist Aurora Nischevi  – spent the rest of 2023 playing sold-out headline shows around Europe and the US and taking their time to roll out their debut album, sharing five singles ahead of its release. They began 2024 as the recipients of both the Brits Rising Star and the BBC Sound of 2024 awards, which means they’ve also been accused of being an “industry plant” by people who don’t quite grasp just how swift and powerful the UK hype machine is. Morris has compared it to “going in a car really fast and not being in charge of the steering wheel,” but the group makes an effort to stay grounded by focusing on the process of writing, playing, and rehearsing that’s led them this far.

The marvelous thing about Prelude to Ecstasy isn’t the audience it’s already reached as a debut album, but the commitment to craft and world-building that’s apparent as soon as you press play. The whole thing starts with an orchestral overture, signaling the sort of theatrical bombast and ambition that bands – especially “post-punk” bands that grow weary of the descriptor – don’t embrace until much later in their discography. As a group that formed just before the pandemic, they’ve had to take the fundamentally uncool path of taking themselves seriously, fleshing out songs, and establishing a strong visual identity before transferring any of their ideas to the stage. Now that it’s become a live spectacle, their vision feels clearly defined yet fluid, just as the dress codes they set for their gigs – Folk Horror, Velvet Goldmine, A Night at the Opera – are meant to foster community and self-expression rather than adherence to any particular aesthetic. The Last Dinner Party, who call the record “an archeology of ourselves,” may like doing things the old-fashioned way, but the assemblage of historical fashion feels fitted to the intensity of the present moment, not a retread of the past.

Intentional as it may be, this approach is also the inevitable product of a group who spent their formative years on a platform that creatively threaded the worlds of Sofia Coppola and Virginia Woolf, where scrolling rendered Mr. Darcy and Effie Stonem part of the same cinematic universe and Hozier could be tagged under a quote from The Secret History. Their cultural influences come through in the music, but you don’t need to have any nostalgia for the age of Tumblr to appreciate what the band is doing on a song like ‘My Lady of Mercy’, which starts out as a fiery piece of goth pop before exploding operatically in scale, then landing on a sludgy outro. The band’s melodic sensibilities are undeniable, and even the songs that aren’t singles – ‘The Feminine Urge’, ‘Mirror’ – boast big, catchy choruses; but it’s the way they build, embellish, and juxtapose their parts that makes an impact. ‘Nothing Matters’ began as a ballad rather than a driving baroque pop song, while ‘On Your Side’, one of a couple actual ballads, ends with synths that swell into the ether, an improvised coda courtesy of producer James Ford.

The Last Dinner Party don’t shy away from polished, extravagant production, which marks even mellower, seemingly off-the-cuff moments like ‘Ghuja’, a song written in Nishevci’s mother tongue of Albanian that also laments her distance from it. The album’s gorgeous, flamboyant qualities don’t detract from the unbridled emotion and complexity at its core, and although I’m curious how ‘Portrait of a Dead Girl’ would sound with a few layers stripped out, the maximalism works because of how desire, envy, shame, and deep, deep yearning are all entwined in the band’s universe. The music earns its dramatic flair thanks to the strength of the songwriting, but also because it always stands in the door of more than one of these shades of feeling, and it veers into fantasy as part of a confession, never masquerading as such. A single line might be direct (“I will fuck you like nothing matters”) or subtly ambivalent (“Pray for me on your knees”), but sung in unison, it feels sincere. As a whole, Prelude to Ecstasy doesn’t feel like a lofty concept album, but an honest extension of themselves.

Still, it’s all about performance, which is really the thematic heart of the album. A lot of it’s tied up with gender: between ‘Caesar on a TV Screen’ and ‘The Feminine Urge’, Morris juggles the natural and rather private tendency “to nurture the wounds my mother held” with the imagined power and glory of projecting your life as an emperor. ‘Beautiful Boy’ longs for a different facet of male privilege, based on a friend of the singer’s and therefore treated with a different kind of earnest intimacy. But the framing of the album makes it feel self-aware, not least because it’s bookended by two extremely sobering moments: “I am not the girl I set out to be/ Let me make my grief a commodity,” Morris sings on ‘Burn Alive’, a sentiment she returns to on closer ‘Mirror’. But exposure – being seen for entertainment – is also a matter of survival, the Last Dinner Party suggest, so they’re giving it their all. They’re not afraid to be indulgent, and having arrived with a fully-realized sound and a distinct formula, they can now afford to mess it up a little; there’s a lot more beauty and bliss snuck into the chaos.

1...504505506...1,669Page 505 of 1,669

Quick Access

Our Culture

Helpful

© 2025 Our Culture Mag Limited. All rights reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement (updated 2/1/2025) and Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement (updated 2/1/2025). The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Our Culture Mag Limited.